A friction element operated with a hydraulic pressure is used as a clutch and a brake of an automatic transmission so as to join two coaxial members to each other (in the case of the clutch, the two coaxial members are both rotational elements, whereas in the case of the brake, one of the two coaxial members is a rotational element and the other is a non-rotational element) (JP 7-12221A).
In such a friction element, for example, the two members each have a plurality of friction plates attached thereto such that the friction plates are slidable in an axial direction, and the friction plates of the two members alternate. When the friction plates of the two members are pressed against one another by a hydraulic piston, the two members are joined to each other via the friction plates.